Method and application of surgical sponge



July 16, 1963 R. M. GRAY 3,097,649

METHOD AND APPLICATION OF SURGICAL SPONGE Filed Jan. 18. 1960 FIG. 1.

INVENTOR. Russ :44 M- 6 M y United States atent 3,097,649 METHOD AND APPLICATION OF SURGICAL SPONGE Russell M. Gray, San Bernardino, Calif. Filed Jan. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 2,916 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-296) This invention relates generally to surgical sponges and more particularly to an improved surgical sponge and an improved method of using surgical sponges and surgical sponges having means to locate the same by use of radio activity.

In surgery, particularly major surgery such as abdominal surger many cotton gauze pads, sometimes filled with other sponge material, or absorbent pads of various materials are used for the purposes of cleansing blood, fluids, and the like from the surgical cavity and in connection with the surgical .procedures.

During the course of surgery many precautions are taken to insure that sponges, instruments and other objects used in surgery are not left within the surgical cavity when the same is closed. All surgical sponges used are carefully counted prior to use and after use to determine whether any have been left within the surgery area. Even with all necessary procedures followed, such counting sometimes reveals that one or more sponges may still be in the surgical cavity and for this reason the surgical cavity is not closed until after the sponges have been checked out. If, after apparent discovery of a missing sponge, it cannot be found, then such sponge may, of necessity, be left in the cavity. Some sponges are provided with a lead thread or other marker so that a portable X-ray machine may be used immediately to locate the same within the body. Not all such sponges do have such markings, however, and even when such markings exist, this procedure is time consuming and costly and it is not desirable to have the surgical cavity remain open longer than necessary because of the patients condition.

Further than this, except for the use of an X-ray machine, there is no simple and sure method of checking that all sponges have been properly accounted for except through counting them; this is not always infallible because the sponges are folded and packed in close proximity to one another and sometimes an error can be made in the count in the first instance so that more surgical sponges may actually have existed than were counted.

1 have devised a simple, quick and effective means of locating lost sponges and of checking any surgical cavity to ascertain, in addition to the method of counting, whether any sponge has been left in the area. My sponge, and the method by which it is used, is completely reliable and not subject to the same fallacies as a human count.

'I have accomplished this by providing surgical sponges with a tab of radio active material which is sewn into a corner or other suitable place in the surgical sponge and by use of a radio activity detector instrument to probe the surgical area before closing.

Thus, it is an important object of my invention to proyide a surgical sponge which has a radio active tracer.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a method for positively checking for lost sponges during surgery.

The foregoing and further objects, advantages d purposes of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a sketch indicating a surgical cavity and a probe being used to search tor the surgical sponges of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective of a preferred embodiment of my invention showing the radio active tracer in phantom line; and,

FIGURE 3 is a cross section through 3-3 of FIG- URE 2.

The sponge 10 illustrated is seen to consist of a series of folds of cotton gauze material or the like. A radio active marker tab 11 formed of carnotite which is uranium oxide (U 0 or other radio active material encased in a suitable plastic or other capsule and is fastened with a corner of the sponge.

The capsule in which the radio active material is encased must be of a material which will withstand the relatively high temperatures in the neighborhood of 360, and pressures, which are encountered in an autoclave which is used in the operating room to sterilize all surgical sponges prior to their use. Teflon, a plastic material produced by Du Pont Company and well known in the art, is thoroughly suitable for such use as is also silver, certain other metals, neoprene, rubber, and many other materials which are well known or may be subsequently discovered or invented. The material, of counse, must be heat and pressure resistant and non-toxic. Such a capsule is shown by reference numeral 11 and is seen to consist of the case 12. of one of the various materials such as is mentioned with the radio active material 13, such as carnotite, sealed within it. Approximately 2 grams of radio active material such as carnotite is satisfactory for the average usage as hereinafter described. It is understood that many different materials might be used as radio active tracer materials such as radio active cobalt, and various other isotopes well known in this field.

This capsule 11 is sewn into the corner or other suitable position by means of a thread 15.

In use, the sponges are used in the customary manner during surgery. At the conclusion of surgery, the surgeon probes within the surgical cavity 20 with a =geiger counter or other suitable radio activity detecting instrument 21 and if any of the sponges so treated with the radio active tab are within the cavity they will immediately become apparent by activation of the radio activity detection device.

There are many ways as previously mentioned in which the radio active material might be properly encased for use and, of course, it could even be molded into a disk with a material such .as epoxy. In addition, it could probably be tastened to a sponge by adhesive as well as being sewn into it.

While the embodiment of my invention and the method used and specifically shown and described herein are fully capable of performing the objects and advantages and purposes desired, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications may be made without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed. It is not my intention to be limited by the specific embodiments and illustrations described.

Iclaim:

A surgical sponge, comprising: a pad formed of 1am inated gauze material; and a capsule securely embedded therein by stitching, said capsule being formed of an impervious non-toxic heat and pressure resistant casing 5 and a radio active pellet located within same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,238,872 Bell Sept. 4, 1917 Charles Sept. 30, 1919 Fischer June 25, 1929 Riordan Apr. 3, 1956 Becker et a1 Dec. 15, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany June 8, 1931 

